The National Forest Service believes it has found more trees cut down in the Santa Fe National Forest for the purpose of rogue ski trails.

As a result, officials said there are nearly a thousand Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir trees gone.

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"It's very disturbing, the more we go out there, the more trails we find," said Mark Allison, with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.

This kind of illegal lumberjacking is technically called "glading." The culprits are believed to be back-country skiers, who used chainsaws and axes to make their own trails.

"This public land belongs to all of us, so it's really outrageous that these folks think they have the right to do this kind of damage," said Allison.

Some of those trails lead into a federally protected wilderness area and losing the trees will have a ripple effect on all the forest.

"It's bad for our water quality, it's bad for wildlife," said Allison. "There's an increased likelihood of Bark Beetle taking advantage of the felled trees and risk of fire."

The Forest Service doesn't take this lightly. If these illegal lumberjacks are caught, they could be facing some serious charges. Right now, it's a federal misdemeanor, which could result in a $6,000 fine or six months in jail.

But, if the damage is bad enough, it could become a federal felony.

There's a $5,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest, but for now, taxpayers are forking over thousands of dollars for the investigation and eventually the cleanup.

"Our national forest and our wilderness area is much more important than a few-minute thrill ride down a mountainside," said Allison.

While investigators keep looking for more rogue trails, they certainly hope they don't find any.